Currently, individuals use hand held caulkers or squeeze bottle dispensers to fill joints with caulking. These same caulkers are used to fill a large number of joints or cracks and thereby require large amounts of caulking compound. Conventional devices require many man-hours to cover a large area and require the user to either bend over or to get down on the floor to caulk a joint. The instant invention allows an individual to efficiently caulk a large number of joints while standing erect and without wasting caulking compound.
Devices for dispensing crease setting compositions are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,508,245 to Houlbrook et al., 4,505,410 to Coulter and 4,182,264 to Gibson et al.
The patent to Houlbrook et al. teaches the use of a wheeled device pulled along a crease of a garment. Through a worm-gear and pinion arrangement, turning of the wheel (roller) as the device travels causes rotation of a shaft that pushes a piston to expel the composition.
The patent to Coulter discloses a device substantially similar to that of Houlbrook et al., except that this device is provided with a lever arrangement to prevent composition from oozing out when the device is not in use.
The patent to Gibson et al. discloses a similar device wherein a spring arrangement is used in conjunction with a pivotally-mounted cover to prevent oozing.
The dispensers for crease-setting compositions are not air powered, nor do they suggest the use of air power to expel the compositions. These patents do not teach the use of a guiding means such as follower rollers to guide the apparatus.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,813,012 there is disclosed an air powered caulking gun. The pistol grip of the caulking gun is hollow, housing an air inlet conduit and an air exhaust conduit A trigger pinches either conduit against respective pins to selectively control air flow into the piston driving chamber.
This patent fails to teach a device mounted on a wheeled base, the use of followers to set the direction of the apparatus, nor the application of caulking over a wide area.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,687,102 to Dunn, a machine is disclosed for applying dust control fluid to fabric items such as mops, rugs, and mats. Fabric passes underneath a roller attached to an arm communicating with an actuating arm, thereby actuating a valve means to cause expulsion of fluid from a manifold onto the fabric in an atomized form. The fluid is supplied by a pump from a tank to the manifold.
The patent to Matthews U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,507 teaches the use of an air powered dispenser that may be mounted on wheels (FIG. 4). It uses a CO.sub.2 canister or a positive displacement pump to deliver the pressure.
The device is similar to the instant invention in that it is on wheels, and an air-driven piston injects the composition into a nozzle, however, many differences are also present. Matthews fails to teach the use of a valve interposed between an air source and a caulking tank, an air tank having means to support a caulking tank and to pivotally support a nozzle, and a handle attached the air tank to control the apparatus.
None of the prior art teaches or suggests a combination wherein an air-powered caulking apparatus and a supplying reservoir are mounted to a wheeled base for distributing caulking in a guided linear manner into joints of concrete. None of the prior art addresses the problem of applying large volumes of caulking compound to joints in concrete or other building material.